


Devil's Flesh & Bones

by Overanalyzer



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Brothers, Canon-Typical Violence, Half-Sibling Incest, M/M, Parent Swap
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-04
Updated: 2015-03-11
Packaged: 2018-03-16 07:35:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3479726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Overanalyzer/pseuds/Overanalyzer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Percy Jackson, the son of Hades, has just made a shocking discovery. Now his sister is dead before he could really know her, and his brother has vanished without a trace.</p><p>Nico di Angelo finds himself alone and afraid. He's going to have to come to terms with his family, and what they mean to him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In the Pale Moonlight

**Author's Note:**

> This story owes its existence to a comment by tumbler user impertinentloyalty, and a drawing done by 50-shades-of-nico in response. 
> 
> The title is taken from the song of the same name, by Eliza Rickman.

***** Camp Half-Blood *****

In the end, Annabeth found him by following the dead plants.

An upset Percy was an easy-to-track Percy, and it was all because of his powers. The wood nymphs _hated_ it; The son of Hades wasn't yet powerful enough to accidentally hurt something with a spirit attached to it, but it was still considered rude. For her purposes tonight, however, it was just what she needed. She found Percy in a clearing, about forty minutes' walk from the cabins if you went in a straight line (He hadn't. Getting back before curfew wasn't an option which meant she'd need to sneak back to avoid the harpies.).

Usually Percy made an effort to be cheerful and friendly, all smiles and color; Hades kids got stereotyped enough, he said, nobody's doom-and-gloom all the time. Tonight was different. Sitting against a tree with his knees pulled to his chest, a black hoodie obscuring his features, and his Stygian Iron sword at his side, he looked like everything one might expect from a child of the underworld.

A hole had been dug in the clearing, and the presence of roast beef sandwiches and orange soda at the bottom told Annabeth all she needed to know.

Three days ago, Percy had burst into the Athena cabin and begged her for help searching these very woods. One of the newer campers, ten-year-old Nico di Angelo, had run off after hearing of the death of his sister, Bianca. Percy had promised to look after her on their quest, but Bianca had sacrificed herself, saving the other members of their party and allowing them to continue on their mission to defeat the Titan warleader, Atlas, and rescue Annabeth herself.

Nico, consumed by grief and feelings of betrayal, had fled camp before hearing the rest of Percy's news: that he and Bianca were also children of Hades, and Percy's brother and sister.

Annabeth took a seat beside Percy, putting what she hoped was a comforting hand on his cold one. "Any luck?"

"She isn't answering me." Percy's voice was thick with exhaustion; as though he hadn't slept in days, which he hadn't. Guilt and grief had kept him up since the boy he now knew to be his brother had run away.

"Can she do that?" Percy didn't have much affinity for ghosts, preferring to manipulate their earthly remains (he often had far too much fun with skeletons), but as the Lord of the Dead's son, he should have been able to call upon any spirit he chose.

"She's Hades' daughter," Percy croaked, "she can do that."

It wasn't just Bianca either, Annabeth knew. All of Percy's attempts to contact his father, or to reach the underworld itself through shadow travel or a surface entrance, had been rebuffed. He'd tried Iris-messaging Charon and the other lesser gods in Hades' employ, to no avail. For the time being, he seemed to be on his own.

"Percy..." she took his hand in both of hers, "You need to rest." Up close she could see how _awful_ he looked. His face was pale, his eyes were sunken and red, and he was ice cold. "You can't do anything in this state."

"I'll sleep when I'm dead."

"Not funny."

"Wasn't meant to be," He put his head back, gazing up at the moonlit sky. "I can't just do nothing, Annabeth. He's out there, somewhere. He's alone, easy prey for any monster that comes along, and it's all my fault."

"Percy, there was nothing you could have do--"

" _I could have stopped her!_ " Fissures appeared in the ground around them, and the air filled with the smell of sulfur. The trees shook as the earth shifted beneath them. Percy's grip tightened around her hand, but she held on. "I could have stopped her from doing it, and she'd be alive, and he'd still be here, not out on his own where anything could happen!"

That outburst seemed to take all he had; the cracks in the ground closed themselves, and Percy dropped her hand, his whole body seemingly going limp; making no sound but that of ragged breaths, too weak to be sobs.

" _I should have died instead._ "

Annabeth's heart dropped. It was easy to forget, sometimes, that Percy had been used to being alone before coming to camp. Switching schools so often left little time or motivation to make friends, and his mother hadn't had any other children. He had Cabin Eleven, sure, but he'd never really be their brother. To just begin to learn you had family, only to have it ripped away before you even really knew... She wrapped arms around her friend.

"I'm sorry," she said gently, "I know it hurts, but you can't blame yourself." He opened his mouth to protest, but she carried on, "No! You did everything you could, and so did Bianca. Nico... you said he took care of the _spartoi_ , right? So he can protect himself. We'll find him, I promise, but right now you need to take care of yourself. You're all he's got now, even if he doesn't know it, so you owe it to him to keep yourself going."

That did the trick. Guilt was surprisingly good for combating other guilt. Percy didn't exactly look happy, but the misery on his face melted into a tired determination.

"You're...you're right." She already knew that, but it pleased her to hear. "I'll go home tomorrow. I should... I should talk to my mom." That was probably a good idea. Sally Jackson was good with this sort of thing. Not 'secret brothers from the 1940s who hate me' things, but feelings. Percy's mom would know just what to say, which was good because Annabeth had just about run out of bright side to look on.

Percy sighed as he pulled away from her and rose wearily to his feet. He looked around at the wrecked clearing and grimaced. "The nymphs are not gonna be happy about this."

They really wouldn't; jagged rocks had sprung from the earth during Percy's guilt-ridden outburst, dislodging some trees which now leaned at uncomfortable angles. When sons of Hades lashed out, they lashed out hard.

"No," Annabeth agreed, "but you're leaving tomorrow. You can get through a bed full of centipedes for one night." She couldn't quite suppress the giggle when he shuddered. For a guy who regularly summoned zombies when he needed a second player in Mario Kart, Percy could be pretty squeamish. "Let's get going, Death Boy." He grinned at that.

"Lead on, Wise Girl."

***** Allentown, Pennsylvania *****

Nico offered a prayer of thanks to whichever god was in charge of people who threw away mostly-full McDonald's bags.

He hadn't considered the need for food when he'd started running. He hadn't thought of money, or where he would sleep, or even where he was going. His mind had been consumed by one thing: to get away. He couldn't let those liars at Camp Half-Blood kill him like they'd killed his sister, and if that meant cold nights and an empty stomach, then so be it.

Thinking of Bianca made him sob and drop the cold chicken sandwich back in the bag. She'd promised to come back. It wouldn't be so bad not seeing her all the time, he'd thought, as long as she promised to visit. But now she was gone, and it was _Percy Jackson's_ fault. Nico had been starstruck by the boy. A tall, dark, handsome hero; like a Mythomagic card come to life? He'd thought the older demigod was so cool. He'd thought he could trust him. He'd thought...

Nico didn't want to think about what else he'd thought. It hurt too much.

A metallic _clank_ shook him from his memories.

"Oh you poor thing. Look at you."

There was a woman standing at the mouth of the dirty alley he was camped out in. A girl, really; probably five or six years older than he was. By the moonlight he could see she had long brown hair and wore what looked like a cheerleader uniform. The girl walked slowly toward him, but her gait was awkward, and each step was accompanied by that _clank_. "Poor boy, all alone," _Clank. Clank._

Nico backed up slowly, but her advance continued, along with her mocking, sugary voice. "Don't you know it's dangerous for a half-blood to be out all by himself?" _Clank. Clank._ A chill ran down his spine. This was no girl.

With that realization, it was like a blindfold had been pulled off his eyes, and he saw the creature as she really was. The flesh on her face and arms went white as a sheet, her eyes turned to dim red lights, and her grin was suddenly full of sharp-looking fangs. From out of her skirt came one leg that looked like a bronze replica of a human's, accompanied by a shaggy brown donkey's leg, complete with hoof.

 _'Empousa,'_ he thought desperately, _'base attack power of 350, but 700 if the opposing card is a...is a...'_

_'700 if the opposing card is a male Hero.'_

Nico turned and broke into a run, but was rudely surprised by a brick wall no more than eight feet back; a dead end. He turned and faced the monster, still patiently advancing. Casting a look around confirmed that there was no way out except past the _empousa_ , and nothing to use as a weapon but old newspapers and aluminum soda cans. He tried to summon a hole in the earth like he had at camp, without luck. He was running on fumes. _'I should have eaten when I had the chance.'_ She was nearly on him now.

Nico jammed his eyes shut, trying to hold back fearful tears. _'I'm sorry, Bianca. I'll see you again soon.'_

"Don't worry, dear," the monster cooed maliciously, "everything will be--" She never finished, her words silence by a slick, wet sound. Nico opened his eyes to see her staring in shock at her chest. The point of a blade was sticking out a few inches below her collarbone. The _empousa_ let out a hollow groan before exploding in a puff of yellow dust.

When the dust cleared, Nico found himself once again looking at a Mythomagic card come to life. The man was pale, with black robes that matched his shoulder-length hair. A braided gold circlet rested on his his head, and he held a sword that was black as night, like the one Percy had carried. Stygian Iron.

"You are unharmed?" the man asked as he sheathed his sword. Nico struggled to come up with an answer, but his body was still locked in terror and supplied only a weak gurgle. "Well," the man continued irritably, "speak!"

"I-I'm okay."

"Hmm." The man nodded and turned his back to Nico, not bothering to see if he followed. He did, of course.

Out on the street, a black limousine idled. A man in a dark blue chauffer's uniform and hat opened the back door, keeping his head bowed as Nico's rescuer climbed inside. At a gesture from the man, Nico followed, and the driver closed the door behind him. He sat in the back seat, directly across from the man who'd saved him. The driver got in, and Nico gasped when he saw into the rear-view mirror.

The driver's face was mangled; the skin was grey and twisted; one eye was gone. The man was a corpse.

Nico's savior gave a low chuckle at his reaction. "It's alright," he said, "you're safe now. You've nothing to fear from my servants." The man reached across and put a hand on Nico's knee.

"It's good to see you again, my son. We have a lot of catching up to do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was meant to be a smutty oneshot, but the boys just wouldn't let me do this from anywhere except the beginning.


	2. Do Demigods Dream of Celestial Bronze Sheep?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico gets new digs, and Percy self-medicates.

*****Los Angeles***  
***The Next Morning*****

The trip was so short there had to have been magic involved, and Nico had expected the Underworld.

Los Angeles was no Underworld (even if certain residents might _refer_ to it as hell), and the Obsidian Arms Apartment Complex was no Palace of Erebos. It was however, as Hades had said, "reasonably clean, reasonably safe and reasonably cheap." The god had smiled at that last part, as though money was no great concern for him. Nico supposed it wasn't, if he thought about it.

The apartment Nico was apparently to live in was small and sparsely decorated; an uncomfortable looking sofa sat against a bare beige wall opposite the front door, with an ugly coffee table in front; the door to a tiny bathroom sat next to an equally small bedroom that held nothing but a twin bed, with gray sheets and a blanket folded neatly on top. All in all, a rather dull place.

The only interesting thing was the kitchen. Not the fridge (although the plentiful food inside certainly caught Nico's attention), not the microwave, and not the hot plate. No, what was interesting about the kitchen was the table; more specifically, the zombie sitting in one of the two chairs, boredly perusing what looked like a romance novel.

"Ah, yes," his father had said, as if just noticing the undead man. "This is Jules-Albert. He'll be posing as your guardian, should any mortals stumble upon this place." Nico wasn't sure how that would work, what with the guy being _dead_ and all, but he held his tongue; backtalking the Lord of the Dead seemed like a good way to get blown to smithereens. "You may also make use of his skills as a driver, if the need arises." The zombie perked up at that, flashing a grotesque smile and a thumbs-up. Nico thought he did an admirable job resisting the urge to flinch.

"You'll need training, of course," Hades continued, "this place will hide you for a time, but monsters will begin to detect you soon enough. There's an empty lot behind the building, I've arranged for instructors to meet you there at dawn. Do _not_ be late." Nico nodded. "You'll require other education as well,"with a wave of his hand the table was suddenly overloaded with books and scrolls, some as thick as cinder blocks, all in ancient Greek, "These will do to start." A start? If that was a start, Nico shuddered to think what his father would consider a finish. Hades fixed his son with a steely gaze. "I expect any son of mine to excel, am I understood?" He nodded again. "Good. I will return in a few weeks to check on your progress." The god turned and made to leave.

"Wait!" Nico yelped. There was one more thing he needed. "What about Percy?" Hades' face turned indecipherable.

"What about him?" his father asked coolly.

"He-he killed my sister," Nico scowled, the now-familiar anger invigorating him. "He has to pay. They _all _have to pay!"__

Hades cocked his head to the side as if trying to see Nico more clearly. "Perhaps." The God put a hand on Nico's shoulder. "All things in their own time, son. My children have always hungered after revenge, but if that is truly what you're after, it must wait. I cannot take sides between my children, and you are not yet strong enough to face your brother on your own." Nico _did_ flinch that time, but said nothing else. Hades offered his son one more enigmatic smile, and then departed.

Now alone but for the zombie (who hardly counted), Nico collapsed into the other kitchen chair and buried his face in his hands. Now that he had a chance to safely rest, the past few days were catching up with him. _'My brother,'_ he thought bitterly, _'what a sick joke.'_ Brothers didn't let their sisters die. Brothers didn't break their promises. Brothers shouldn't make you feel like... _'No!'_ he thought furiously. _That_ no longer mattered, and didn't need to be brought up. Getting justice for Bianca, that was his mission now. Percy Jackson would die, and then Nico wouldn't have to feel anything. Anything at all.

Nico raised his head, and pretended not to notice the wetness on his hands. He looked around the table for the shortest-looking book his father had left, and began to read. There was so much to learn, and he couldn't afford to waste any time.

*****Three Days Later***  
***New York City*****

Across the country, as Nico di Angelo dreamed of revenge, his half-brother did the same. Not of achieving it, but of _recieveing_ it. Percy dreamed of the dead, and all the ways they wanted to hurt him. He saw Zoe Nightshade, with starlight in her eyes and blood on her lips; Bianca di Angelo, who screamed accusations of failure and betrayal; and even Gabe Ugliano, reaching out for him with cold stone fingers.

It was past one in the morning when he shook himself awake. Percy wanted to curse. It seemed he'd had nothing but nightmares lately; normal ones, products of nothing but his own mind. Not a single useful vision to be had. Percy had prayed to Hypnos and Morpheus every night, begging for any scrap of useful information. Once, he'd have given anything for his demigod dreams to stop. Now he'd give anything to have them back; anything at all to know what had become of his lost brother. Coming home had helped a little, he could admit. At camp, everything had been too fresh to allow him even a few hours of troubled sleep. His mind had worked overtime to supply him with every horror that could befall a little boy out on his own, and with everything Percy himself might have said or done differently. Here, at least, he could get a little rest. 

But it wasn't enough. Percy got up and padded over to his desk, where his backpack sat. He rummaged around until he found what he was looking for.

The vial was something he'd gotten from one of his bunkmates, Vivian, a daughter of Hypnos with whom he shared floor space in Cabin Eleven. The dark blue fluid inside was supposed to bring on a very deep sleep, or as she'd explained, _"technically closer to a coma."_ It was supposed to be really dangerous, and he'd promised to use it only as a last resort. And Percy had been feeling 'last resort' for the past eight nights, if he was honest with himself. He quickly gathered everything he'd need from the kitchen. The potion was to be administered by the drop, one in fourteen ounces of hot water, with a teaspoon of lemon juice. _"Not lime,"_ Vivian had warned him, _"If you use lime, you will die."_ As Percy stirred, the mixture took on a sickly yellow tint. It smelled disgusting, like sawdust and slightly out-of-date clams. 

Percy brought the cup to his lips with a grimace. He took a deep breath, held his nose, and started to drink. The stuff was _nasty_ , and he could feel his body trying to retch even as he did his best to gulp it down. It wasn't just the taste, either: The potion _burned_ , way hotter than it should have, considering the temperature of the water. Even so, as soon as the liquid reached his gut it got cold, a biting chill like he'd been swallowing popsicles whole. The feeling spread through his body, and by the time he'd emptied the glass, Percy felt colder than he ever had in his life.

Percy stumbled back to his bed, the cup falling from his hand to land with a thud on the carpet. He could feel his body shutting down as the potion's effects progressed, and before his eyes closed he had just enough time to wonder if he was making a terrible mistake...

*******

Just for the record: Drug-assisted demigod dreams? No fun at all.

For starters, it felt like he was being pulled down into a swimming pool full of syrup. Percy had loved swimming as a child, in the blissfully ignorant days before he'd discovered his heritage and learned that the water was something to be feared. This, though? This was something else entirely. He could barely see, surrounded by a pale violet fog. His arms and legs didn't seem to want to move in quite the same direction he wanted them to. And every so often, he felt things brush against him, cold and rough and alien to the touch.

After what seemed like years in that strange non-place, drifting in and out of awareness, Percy awoke (or as close as you can get to awake in a dream) to sunlight on his face. He was standing in a vacant lot, against a dirty brick wall. A well-preserved zombie in armor leaned against the opposite wall. Percy found, to his surprise, that he recognized the guy: His name was Agapetos, and he served as a captain in Hades' Underworld guard. Percy had frequently summoned him for practice during school months, when training at camp wasn't an option. Between them, in the center of the yard, stood Nico di Angelo.

Nico was dressed in Greek-styled armor. His face was marred by dirt and sweat, and he was breathing heavily. He held a Celestial Bronze sword in his right hand, with a shield on his left arm. Facing him was a skeleton, similarly armed and armored. The skeleton took a swipe at Nico, who batted it aside with his shield and darted to the right, cutting the thing off at the knee. The skeleton crashed to the ground, and Nico deftly sent his sword up through its skull, sending it flying and and causing the rest of the bones to collapse into a dusty pile on the ground.

Percy was impressed; Nico had clearly improved since the basic instruction he'd had at camp. His little brother had been practicing.

"Again!" Agapetos snapped his fingers.. The skeleton reassembled itself in an instant, and didn't waste any time going on the offensive. It attacked far more ferociously this time, hacking away at Nico's shield and forcing the boy into a corner. A chunk of pavement shifted under his feet and he fell backwards, his sword flying from his grip. The skeleton brought its blade down...

...and it came to a sudden stop. A column of stone was protruding from the ground; the skeleton's blade was sunk a few inches from the top, now quite immobile, and Percy let out an impressed whistle. Nico had used his powers instinctively, making up for his disarmament with another resource at his disposal. It was a good move.

"Very good," Agapetos clearly thought so as well. "Your brother took ages to get such control of his abilities. Lord Hades will be pleased." Percy's heart sank at the words, and he suddenly got an idea of why his father hadn't been answering his calls.

Nico got to his feet and brushed himself off. "It's not enough," he said darkly, retrieving his sword. "I have to get better."

"Ha!" Agapetos barked out a laugh. "You've been at it for two days, boy. It takes time."

"I don't have time!" Nico snapped, taking off his helmet and reaching for a water bottle, "Every second I wait, my sister's death goes unpunished. Percy...he killed Bianca, and he'll kill me too if he gets the chance!"

Was that what Nico thought? Percy knew the boy had been angry, and he had every right to be; Percy had promised to keep Bianca safe and he'd failed. _She_ had sacrificed herself to save _him_ , and he'd returned to camp with nothing but empty apologies. No, Nico was right to hate Percy, but to believe that Percy would try to hurt him? He tried to reach out, to reassure Nico that he would never... but it was all for naught; this was still just a dream.

Agapetos laid a hand on Nico's shoulder. "You're not ready yet, boy. I know you're itching for revenge, but there's a limit to how fast you can go. Rush into it, and your brother will--"

"He is _not_ my brother!" Nico shouted. The shadows around them seemed to darken and grow, stretching out toward the angry boy. "He's a liar and a murderer, and I'm going to make him pay!" Hatred shone in his eyes, and his fists trembled.

Agapetos regarded Nico with what looked like amusement. "Alright, if you insist," he shrugged, "again?"

Nico exhaled, nodded grimly, and replaced his helmet.

"Again."

*******

When Percy awoke again, it was midday. It felt like waking up after a fever broke; he was cold, his head was light and he stank of sweat.

Standing under the warm shower spray, Percy tried to process what he'd seen. First, that his new found brother wanted him dead. That part was sadly unsurprising; Percy had earned Nico di Angelo's hatred, even if it killed him to admit it to himself. The second part was more worrisome. Percy hadn't spoken to Hades since before the fateful quest that had claimed Bianca's life. Now, with his messages being rejected and the Underworld closed to him, he suddenly doubted he'd get the chance again any time soon. Agapetos had made it sound like his father supported Nico's goals of vengeance.

 _'Why wouldn't he?'_ Percy thought to himself, _'You_ killed _his daughter.'_ The Lord of the Dead was not known for forgiveness; his children had to get their talent for holding grudges from _somewhere,_ after all.

Now he was trapped. There was still some vague, world-changing prophecy hanging over his head. He didn't want anything to do with it, but if he didn't, it would become Nico's responsibility. That was unacceptable. Percy had robbed his brother of family, compelled him to leave the only halfway safe place on the planet, and driven him to a very dark place. Much as he might want to, he couldn't let Nico kill him and bear the burden of the prophecy. But how could he decide the fate of the world when he couldn't keep one promise?

As the water went cold around him, Percy had never felt more like a failure in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! The next chapter should be up on Monday or Tuesday.


	3. Call Waiting of the Damned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy gets a call while out for a walk, and Annabeth comes up with a really bad plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter brings us forward to Battle of the Labyrinth, which should take up about three chapters to get through, if I'm planning this right.

*****Camp Half-Blood***  
***June*****

It was a nice night, and then the rainbow showed up.

One of the (very few, in Percy's opinion) benefits to being a son of Hades was the shadow travel. Whereas most other campers were trapped in their cabins all night for fear of the harpies, he could go from Cabin Eleven to Zeus' Fist and back again in the time it took to sneeze. Percy had even gone all the way to Manhatten a few times, to visit his mother with the rest of camp none the wiser. Great for midnight walks to clear his head, which he'd badly needed. He'd been making his way quietly through the woods, trying to think of ways to help Grover complete his search for Pan and make progress in the satyrs' fight to preserve the wild, when the rainbow appeared, hanging in the moonlight.

"Please deposit one drachma," A pleasant female voice came softly from the shimmering rainbow. He reached into his pocket for a coin and tossed it into the light, which shimmered and rippled before falling away, revealing a sight that made Percy's breath freeze up in his throat.

Camped on a riverbank, sitting cross-legged in front of a fire, was someone he'd last seen six months ago. Percy's younger brother, Nico di Angelo.

"Nico! Is that really--" But Nico didn't seem able to hear him. He was talking to someone Percy couldn't see.

"--won't even open the gates for me. Bad enough a cyclops smashed up my apartment, now my own father won't see me?" Nico's face was sullen, and his eyes burned with disappointment. There were some bruises on his face, and his clothes were dusty and torn in places, but he seemed mostly unharmed.

"A necessary precaution, master." The voice that answered was low and raspy. And weirdly familiar. "Lord Hades cannot be seen openly supporting you, lest he risk his brothers' wrath. For now, my service is all he can provide." Percy could swear he knew that voice.

"And Bianca? Why would she hide from me? I can't bring her back, but I thought..." 

Percy frowned. Nico was right, that _didn't_ make sense. Their father hadn't made contact with Percy, which hurt, but was something he could understand. Same with Bianca's spirit. He'd gotten her killed, after all. But to keep silent to Nico, who was her full-blooded brother, and who had been devastated by her death?

"There is still a way," the voice of Nico's unseen companion offered, "an exchange. The barter of one soul for another."

"I don't see how I can offer my soul when my father won't even--" The Voice cut him off with a chuckle.

"No, my lord, not yours. There is another, as you know. Someone who should not be alive, but who has wrongly extended his life."

Nico scowled. "Not that again." He turned away from the fire looking out over the river. On the far side, Percy realized that he recognized the black beach, mired in fog. His brother was in the Underworld, on the banks of the River Styx itself. "You're talking about murder."

"Justice," The Voice corrected, thick with insincere reassurance, "vengeance. A debt to be settled, and your sister's life in the bargain. That _is_ what you desire, is it not?" 

Percy decided then and there that he didn't like that voice. It reminded him way too much of kids he'd gone to school with; kids who were great at convincing others to misbehave and then take the fall. Now if only he could figure out where he knew it from, it was right on the tip of his brain...

Nico sighed. "If it was," he asked, tentatively, "do you know where we start?"

"Oh yes, master," the voice sounded ever so pleased, "but we must hurry. There are dark roads to walk, and--"

Just then, the image clouded over, and the woman's voice returned. _"Please deposit another drachma for five more minutes."_

"Shit!" Percy cursed, and reached into his pockets for another coin. But there were none to be found, and he could only watch helplessly as the rainbow gave a pleasant chime and disappeared, leaving him in the dark again.

His head was spinning with everything he'd heard. Nico, on the run after half a year in relative safety (and despite everything, Percy was glad to know he hadn't been living on the streets), in the company of a ghost that seemed to want him to do some not-so-savory things and break one of the principle laws of nature. And there was only one soul he could be after.

_'To bring Bianca back...'_ Percy would be lying if he said he hadn't considered it himself. Six months ago he'd run himself ragged trying to find a way back to the Underworld, hoping to find some way to fix his failure. But the land of the dead was closed to him, and Hades, along with anybody who was anybody in the Underworld, was steadfastly ignoring all his attempts at contact. But his father might consider having Nico sell him out to be an appropriate punishment...

Percy groaned. He'd come out here to think about Grover's problem, and he'd wound up with one of his own. Typical, really. This was going to require a better brain. He'd need to talk to Annabeth. He cast one last look around the dark woods, just make sure there were no more life-changing surprises lurking, and shadow-traveled back to the Hermes cabin. The sun would be up soon, and he would need all the rest he could get.

*****The Next Day*****

Percy Jackson had some very skewed priorities.

One of their friends was facing exile for failing to do what everyone else had failed to do for three thousand years, Kronos' army was preparing to destroy them, and Percy was worried about where she sat? Ugh, _boys!_

"It's the Labyrinth," she said when she finally got him off the subject of seating rules (because seriously, who cared?). "It's the only way to help Grover, and it could help us against Kronos, too." Granted, it was a nigh inescapable deathtrap, but Annabeth was sure she could make the sell. "It's what Clarisse and I have been working on." 

Percy frowned, like he was trying to remember something. "That's where they kept the Minotaur in the old days, right? The maze?"

"Exactly."

"So...I'm guessing it's not under the king's palace in Crete anymore? The Labyrinth is...oh _shit!_ " Percy's eyes went wide and the color fled his face. "Crete."

"Yeah, that's where it was. What about it?"

Percy glanced around them, at his bunkmates. "Not here," he whispered conspiratorially. He got up, and Annabeth and Grover rose to follow him down to the beach.

One thing Annabeth had never understood about her friend was his love of water. It was almost as though Percy didn't remember nearly getting killed by Poseidon on his first quest. But for whatever reason, the sight of the ocean always seemed to relax him.

However, all thoughts of the ocean soon fled, as Percy shared his news: That he'd recieved an anonymous IM the previous night, showing his wayward brother Nico being led around by a nasty-sounding voice.

"But it wasn't just any voice," Percy said, looking as upset as Annabeth had ever seen him, "It was a ghost. It was Minos."

Grover blanched. "Minos? As in _the_ Minos?"

Percy nodded. "Because of his status, he was made a judge of the afterlife when he died; and he's not one of the nice ones. I've met him before; guy was a prick when he was alive, he's a prick now. He hung his head, "And now he's got Nico convinced he can bring Bianca back."

Annabeth stopped to think for a moment. "That's no coincidence. Minos was the one who commisioned the Labyrinth in the first place; he must be hoping to use it now."

"Use it for what, exactly?" Percy cocked his head to the side, "The Labyrinth is a prison for the Minotaur, right? And that thing is, y'know, dead."

"For anything!" Annabeth suppressed a sigh. Clearly, Percy hadn't done the reading. As usual. "You were right before, the Labyrinth isn't in Crete anymore. Not _just_ there, anyway. It's grown over the years, stretching out across the world. In theory, you can use it to get anywhere."

"Minos did mention something about 'dark roads.'"

"That fits too. The Labyrinth is...dangerous." Annabeth took a deep breath and started explaining; about Clarisse finding Chris Rodriguez in the desert; about Ariadne's string and its ability to aid navigation in the maze; and about the possible relevance to Kronos' plans and Grover's search for the wild god. "I know it's a long shot, but if you're right and Minos is stirring up trouble, then we need to get on top of this. We have to figure out the Labyrinth."

Percy looked skeptical, and Grover just looked scared.

"I don't know about this, Annabeth," Percy said, "there's one thing I haven't figured out. Who sent me that IM? Because if you wanna go down there after hearing about it..."

"A trap," Grover bleated mournfully.

This time, she did sigh. "Guys, I know how it sounds. But what if I'm right? If we do nothing and it turns out this was the key all along?"

As was so often the case, the boys had nothing to say to that.

***

As was _also_ so often the case, reasoned arguments weren't what won the day. No, what got them started was falling in a hole.

Typical.

Still, their course was set. Annabeth had her quest, and she had her friends. Grover had been energized by her prophecy and its mention of 'The Lost One.' Their Cyclops friend Tyson had agreed so readily that Annabeth felt guilty for ever mistrusting him. Percy would have come no matter what, she knew, but his interest had been piqued by the prophecy's lines about raising the dead, and the mention of the 'Ghost King.' He wouldn't say it, but Annabeth knew that it was worry that drove the son of Hades now. His long lost brother was in the hands of a literal Ghost King, and his ultimate goal was to raise the dead, or one in particular. He had confided in her, as they prepared to leave, about the second Iris message he'd recieved; of Theseus confirming to Nico the viability of a soul exchange. 

The thought made Annabeth feel sick. Both the idea that Nico would try to use Percy's soul...

And the idea that Percy might let it happen.

The last line of her prophecy weighed heavily on Annabeth. She hadn't told anyone about because, even if she couldn't quite bring herself to admit it, she was afraid.

_'And lose a love to worse than death.'_

There were so many things that could go wrong on this quest, _her_ quest. And now she had another possibility to contend with: that in asking her friend for help, she might be leading him straight into a fate that could cost him his soul.

But there wasn't any turning back now. If she was sure of one thing, it was that she couldn't do this without Percy Jackson. There was nobody she'd rather have watching her back.

Percy finished his talk with Chiron and joined the rest of their party. They locked eyes, nodded, and then together, the four of them descended into the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally going to be twice as long, but I couldn't come up with a way to summarize certain parts of the book without just straight-up rewriting BotL. The ranch is next, and it's almost done, so I might be able to post it as early as tomorrow.


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